Water, water everywhere ... until there's a problem

That's according to a national campaign to make water, well, interesting.

Even as more people turn to bottled water for drinking, the hidden pipes that carry tap water to their sinks, showers or sprinklers may be deteriorating, according to the American Water Works Association.

The public will pay for repairs sooner or later - but is it willing? Enter the association's message: "Only Tap Water Delivers," which features abundant public service announcements, speeches, videos, and even drink holders imprinted: "This drink made with tap water."

One newspaper ad featured a water faucet with the caption, "Do you know how often you turn me on?"

It's difficult to make people care about tap water, organizers say. The director of the Denver-based waterworks group, Jack Hoffbuhr, referred to a study several years ago showing only one-quarter of California residents drink untreated tap water; the rest gulp down bottled water or use filters to treat water from the faucet.

"The consumers are voting with bottles, treatment units and dollars. We had better listen," Hoffbuhr wrote recently.

His national public outreach soon might be mimicked in San Joaquin County, which faces a "ticking time bomb" in its plumbing, said Steve Winkler, the county's deputy public works director. He said the county wants to educate water users about the growing problem.

"We're all facing the same issues," he said. "It starts out as leaks. Eventually, you have enough problems or concerns that you have to start replacing water mains."

Rapid growth spurs investment in new pipes and treatment systems but leaves little money to replace the old ones, which might have been in the ground 50 years or longer, said Krista Clark, director of regulatory affairs for the Association of California Water Agencies.

Flood-control needs and wastewater treatment upgrades could put pipe replacement low on a long list of priorities, Clark said.

"Trying to get the public to take an interest in water supply and water quality has never been easy until a problem occurs. Usually, you turn on the faucet and water comes out," she said.

Manteca officials are replacing old, calcium-clogged, 4-inch water mains with 8-inch pipes, said Michael Brinton, the city's director of public works. That will improve the flow for everyone, including firefighters who tap into hydrants.

So far Manteca has been able to stay ahead, Brinton said. And as long as everything is working, he said, there's no need for the public to think twice about the city's plumbing.

"We want people to take us for granted," Brinton said.

But the waterworks association wants users to think about how far tap water goes: It lessens the likelihood of disease, allows fire protection and pumps up economies by allowing developments to grow.

Consumption of bottled water topped 40billion gallons worldwide in 2004 despite being no healthier than tap water in many areas, according to the conservation group Earth Policy Institute. Still, the tap water campaign isn't being billed simply as a battle against bottled.

Even representatives of the International Bottled Water Association say their true competition isn't tap water; it's the other drinks lining the shelves at the grocery store.

"Bottled water does not market itself on the back of tap water," association spokesman Stephen Kay said. "People aren't necessarily turning away from the tap and selecting bottled."